Only 7% of target area under DSR behind water-saving method's slow growth, a big roadblock: free power

Indian Express

18 hours ago

Punjab has brought 14,574 hectares (ha) under direct-seeded rice (DSR) by June 5, way below the target of 2.02 lakh hectares (5-lakh acres) it has set for this year. Last year, 1.02 lakh hectares (2.53 lakh acres) were under DSR, against the target of 2.83 lakh hectares (7 lakh acres). Despite being promoted for the past over a decade by the state government and the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), the area under DSR — a cultivation method in which paddy seeds are planted directly into the soil, while doing away with the traditional preparing of nurseries and then transplanting the saplings — has remained marginal making for a fraction of the total area under paddy. This year's target of 2.02 lakh hectares under DSR makes for only 6 per cent of the total expected area under paddy.
Soil texture the key
According to PAU, approximately 80% of Punjab's land is suitable for DSR. The state has about 25% heavy-textured soil, 55% medium-textured, and 20% light-textured soil. Heavy and medium-textured soil — richer in clay and lower in sand — are most suitable for DSR. These soil types are well distributed in state — Majha region has a higher proportion of heavy-textured soil, Doaba predominantly has medium to heavy soils, and Malwa contains a mix of all three. Farmers are generally aware of their soil types.
Yet after years of training, promotion, and incentives — such as the Rs 1,500 per acre offered by the government and claims by progressive farmers who say they have recorded 3–5% higher yield compared to traditional methods — DSR has not seen broader adoption.
DSR over the years
The cultivation method was formally recommended in 2010. In the first two years, only a select few farmers adopted DSR, bringing a few hundred hectares under it. The method began to gain traction in 2012, with 8,922 hectares (22,037 acres) under DSR. The following three years saw steady growth: 38,900 hectares (96,083 acres) in 2013, 1.15 lakh hectares (2,84,050 acres) in 2014, and 1.65 lakh hectares (4,07,550 acres) in 2015.
However, its popularity waned due to a lack of technical knowledge. Many farmers faced yield losses because they were unaware of soil suitability, nutrient deficiencies, and weed control. As a result, the area under DSR shrank: 19,660 hectares in 2016; 9,440 hectares in 2017; 6,200 hectares in 2018; and 23,300 hectares in 2019.
A labour shortage, triggered by Covid-19 induced lockdowns in 2020, pushed DSR adoption with area under it expanding to over 5 lakh hectares — about 18% of the total area under paddy. It further expanded to 5.62 lakh hecatres the next year, which witnessed the second wave of Covid-19. The surge, however, was short-lived. In subsequent years, the area declined again: 69,230 hecatres (1.71 lakh acres) in 2022, 70,040 hectares (1.73 lakh acres) in 2023, and 1,02,429 hectares (2.53 lakh acres) in 2024.
Stumbling blocks to adoption
While discussions often focus on technical issues such as soil type or lack of knowledge about the technique, one of the biggest and yet the one of the most under-discussed barrier remains the free power policy for agricultural tube wells.
Punjab has close to 14 lakh agriculture tubewells. The state is estimated to spend Rs 20,500 crore on power subsidies in 2025-26 fiscal. Of this, Rs 10,000 crore will go towards the farming sector, the subsidy bill being the highest for any category. This subsidy, while intended to ease the financial burden of farmers, has taken a huge toll on the ground water.
DSR, which does not require flood irrigation during sowing, need the first irrigation around three weeks after seeding. This method helps save approximately 15–20% of water compared to the traditional puddled transplanting of rice (PTR). According to PAU, the traditional method consumes between 3,500 to 4,125 litres of water to produce just one kilogram of rice, depending on the variety. However, with irrigation effectively free due to subsidised electricity, farmers have little economic incentive to adopt a more water-efficient technique like DSR. In traditional puddling, farmers often over-irrigate, flooding fields excessively because they bear no cost for power or water. DSR, by contrast, demands carefully timed irrigation and efficient water management, making it economically less attractive under current conditions.
Dr MS Bhullar, Principal Agronomist at PAU and head of the team that developed the DSR technique, said, 'The tar-wattar technique (as DSR is known) not only saves water but also labour and time, maturing 7–10 days earlier and easing post-harvest straw management. Yet, despite these benefits, most of the paddy area in Punjab is still cultivated through the puddling method'.
Experts argue that unless the free electricity policy is revisited, DSR — and other water-saving practices — will face an uphill battle. Free power has encouraged groundwater over-extraction and locked Punjab into water-intensive paddy farming.
'The current flat-rate incentive structure does not encourage long-term change. When water and power are free, why invest in DSR equipment or adopt a technique requiring greater precision and planning,' asked an expert.
Soil suitability only part of the story
Technical barriers such as low yield on light soil, iron deficiency in the Upper table soil, and weed issues are real. DSR performs poorly on sandy soil that doesn't retain moisture well and in areas lacking plant-available iron, leading to yield losses. Such experiences have caused many farmers to abandon DSR after initial trials.
'The larger issue, however, is structural and policy-driven. Even in areas with ideal soil (Majha, Doaba, and parts of Malwa), adoption remains low. This indicates that while technical challenges exist, they don't fully explain the resistance,' said an expert.
What needs to change
Beyond awareness drives, Punjab must reconsider its free power policy. A gradual shift to metered electricity or direct cash transfers could encourage more responsible water use without politically alienating farmers. Incentives should be targeted, not flat-rate, based on soil suitability, proper training, and long-term adoption.
Mandatory training supported by real-time technical assistance and comprehensive soil testing is essential to prevent failures that damage DSR's credibility. Farmers need full-cycle handholding, from sowing to harvest.
As a senior PAU scientist, requesting anonymity, said:'The lukewarm response to DSR is not simply a matter of ignorance, unsuitable soil, or traditional preferences. At its core lies a deeper economic contradiction: a method designed to save water cannot succeed in a system where water costs nothing. Unless the state revisits its approach to free electricity for agriculture and aligns its incentives accordingly, both DSR and the broader effort to reduce paddy area in Punjab will continue to falter'